1
CHINA,
333
934
3 inches, mein draught of 9 feet 6 inches, and a displacem nt of 440 tons. The main feature of the-e boats, however, is the 11-inch 35-ton muzzle loading gun carried by each. They are further armed with two 12-punder breach lading Armstrong guns and four Gatlings. The last three, which arrived in Cuing in July, 1881, are almost identical in style with their imme li te predecessors, and each carry one 35-ton gun, but are a'so provided with two 3 pounders, two Gatling, and four Nordenfeldt guns. These boats are specially in ended for coast and river defence, for which they are eminently suitable. They were all built on the Tyne by the Elswick Company. Other vessels are being built in Germany and elsewhere for the Chinese Government. Lu Shun Kou, re-named Port Li, in bonour of the Viceroy of Chilli, on the south coast of Shingking, has lately been selected as a naval dépôt, and is being strongly fortified.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY.
Great Britain has, in virtue of various treaties with the Chinese Government— the first and most important signed Angus: 29th, 1842—the right of access to twenty- five ports an cities of the Empire. The ports known as Treaty ports are Canton, Hoihow (in Hainan), Pakhoi, Swatow, Amor, Fo chow, Takao, Tamsui, and Keelung, Wenchow, Ningpo, Shanghai, Coinkiang, Wuhu, Kiukiang, Hankow, Ichang, Chefs, Tientsin, and Newcbwang. Under the provisions of the Chefoo Convention, permission is also accorded to British merchants to trade at Chung-king and Yunnan-fu, at which places British Consular Agents reside. The import trade from Great Britain, exclusive of the Colony of Hongkong, centres at Shanghai, Hankow, and Tientsin, while the bulk of the exports to Great Britain pass through the ports of Shangbai, Foochow, Hankow, and Canton. The annual valu of the foreign trade of Cuina was as follow in each of the sixteen years from 1867 to 1882:-
TEAR
CHINA-PAKHOI.
of Miscellaneous Piece Goods, Tis. 286,885. Most of th se goods came from British looms. The value of the Opium imported in 1882 was Tls. 26,746,297.
.
Although China is traversed in all directions b. r.ads, they are usually mere tracks, or at best fotpaths, along which the transport of goods is a tedious and difficult and rtaking. It was owing to the imperfect means of communication that such a fearful mortality attended the recent famines in Si insi, Honau, and Shantung. A vast internal trade is, however, carried ou over the real, anl by means of numerous cauals and navigable rivers. The mo-t populous part of China is singularly well adapted for the construction of a network of railways, and a first attempt to introduce them into the country was made in 1876, when a line from Shanghai to Woosung, ten miles in length, was constructed by an English Company. The little railway was subsequently purchased by the Chinese Government an lelo-ed by them on the 21st October, 1877, when the rails were taken up and the line with rolling stock shipped A to Formo-a were it has ever since been lying idle and rapidly spoiling. Latterly the introduction of railways has been advocated by some of the Ligh, officials. telegra h line has been erected between Peking and Sanghai, which was opened from Tientsin in Decembar, 1882, and is being extended southwards to Canton. That eity was connected with Kowloon by an overland telegraph line in the middle of 1853. A ra Iway from Taku to Tong-chow has been advocated by some high officials, and will probably be carried out before long.
XIT IMPORTS."
ПЕРОВТА.
1867.
Haikan Tls.
62,459,296
Haikuan Tis.
52.158.300
TOTAL.
Haikuan Tls. 114,617,526
1868.
63.251.804
01,826,275
125,108,079
1869.
67,105.533
60,139,237
127,247,770
1870.
63,693.263
55.29 1,865
118,988.134
1871.
70,103,077
66,854,161
136,956,238
1872
67.317.049
75,288,125
142,605,174
1873..
66,637.209
69,451,277
136,088,485
1874.
64,360.564
66.712,868
131,073,732
1875
67.803,247
68,912.929
136,716,176
1876.
70,209,574
80,850.512
151,120.086
1877.
73,253,170
67,445,022
140,698,192
1878
70,504.0.7
67,172,179
137,976,206
1879.
82.227,424
72,281,262
151,509.686
1880
79.293.452
77,883,587
157,177,039
1881.
91.910,877
71,452,974
163,363.851
1882
67,336,846
115,052,074
77 715.228
Of the total value of the imports and exports 10 fore gu e un'res for 1882- Tle, 145,952,074—Tls. 111,093,769 us be cre-titeit Great Britain aul ber colonies, including In 'ia. Tee remainder is tu dir ded a nong other countries.-United States, Tls. 11,696,858; Continent of En...pe, Tls. 11.236,276, Rassi, vit O lessa, Tls. 955, 151; Siberia and Russia, viá Kuchta, T.s. 3,26,345; Rus-ian Man hura, Tis. 720,301; Japar, Tls. 6,209,099; Piippine Islinis, Tls. 263,340; Cochia China, Tls. 552,474; Siam, Tls. 404,950; Java, Tl-, 301,315; and Turkey, Tis. 54,911. export, tea and silk t ke the first places. In 1832 the export of tea am uated Among the to 2,017,151 piculs, of Brit sh possessions. Manufacturel Coton na Woolen Gols and Opina constitute wich 1.350,654 picals wut to Great Britain and the bulk of the impor s of tore gn uzo luc: in o China. Ta value of Cotton Gods imported in 1882 was Tls, 22,706,784; that of Wollen Gols, Tis. 4,496,263; and
• Net Imports, i.e., the value of the Foreign Foods imported direct from Foreign Countries, less the value of the Foreign Goods re-exported to Foreign Countries during the year.
PAKHOI.
Pakboi is one of the ports opened to foreign trade by the Chefeo Convention of 1876. It is situated on the Gulf of Tonquiù in long. 190 deg. 13 min. E. and lat. 2' deg. 30 min. N. The British Consul hoisted his flag on the 1-t May, 1877, and the foreigners were well received by the natives. Pakhoi is the port for the important city of Lien-chau, from whence considerable quantities of foreign piece goods are distribute over the country lying between the Wes' River and the sea-bo.ird. It is believed that it will also become one great outlet for the trade of the province of Kwang- 61. The trade was formerly almost exclusively in the hands of Chinese, who transhipped goods from Hongkong and Micro (cli-fly the latter) in native bottoms, and in 1877 the value of the trade passing through the Foreign Customs a vounted to no more than Tis, 11,714, while in 1878 it was zil. Tra le bas, however, greatly improved, though 1882 saw a falling-off due to a decline in the opium import. In that year is value was Tls. 1,162,638 as compared with Tls. 1,800,856 in 1881, Tls. 1,748,160 in 1880, and Tls. 328,532 in 1879. The exports are sugr, ol, rice, tea, &c. It is anticipated that the trade of Pakhoi will ultimately be very consider. able.
The towo is situated on a small peninsula and faces nearly due North. It stands at the foot of a bluff nearly forty feet high, which deprives it of the South-west brecze in summer, while in winter it is exposed to the full force of the North-east monsoon. From the bluff an extensive uncultivated plain stretches, over which there is good sport, geese, duck, suipe, plover, quail, and pigeous being found in abundance. The climate is considered to be very salubrious. The estimated population of the port
is 25,000.
No port in China is more easily approached and entered than that of Pakhoi. The landmarks are conspicuous and unmistakeable. The channel is wide and deep and has no bidden danger to be avoided. The anchorage is a mile and a calf from the town. There is good landing at high water, but at ebb tide only for small bosta